In February of 2023 I was hired at an independent news outlet called the Cherokee Phoenix. The outlet covers stories on Cherokee people, culture and important news. A week after I started, my boss came to my office and asked if I wanted to do a NextGen NAJA project. How could I turn down a great opportunity like that- to learn and grow under some of the best in the business?
In my time working for the Phoenix, I’ve gained a great interest in Cherokee culture and in this project I was able to further that by speaking with a Cherokee freshman student at the University of Oklahoma. Her accomplishments are incredible and I’m so glad I got to sit down and do this story with her.
This week I feel I’ve improved in my interviewing skills, my audio editing prowess and I’ve also gained an appreciation for save shortcuts. “COMMAND-S, COMMAND-S, COMMAND-S.”
I don’t think I would change anything I did this week. The experience has really helped develop my skills as a journalist and for that I am very thankful. I will continue to try to improve my skills in this type of media.
One technique I will take with me is the BARF draft, it is by far one of the fastest ways to break down a story without forgetting any details. I will definitely use this on Monday.
I would like to say thank you to everyone who helped me this week; even though I missed a day at the beginning of the week, I never felt overwhelmed or discouraged. I felt nothing but support. I wish I could’ve posted more on social media about this project. Unfortunately due to the family circumstances, I did not feel it was appropriate, please do not take this as disrespect- I very much enjoyed my time doing this project.